


Proximity

by RandomCat23



Category: Psycho-Pass
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:08:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23093821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomCat23/pseuds/RandomCat23
Summary: It had been a long time since they'd been around each other. Long buried feelings come to light.A series of short scenes set during the Psycho Pass movie.
Relationships: Kougami Shinya/Tsunemori Akane
Comments: 15
Kudos: 82





	1. Akane

**Author's Note:**

> This is an edited and updated version of the same story I posted on ff.net.

Akane kept her eyes closed even though sleep wasn't coming. 

There could be no rest when the bed sheets smelled like him. 

For years, she'd lit cigarettes and bathed in the smoke, let it burn her lungs and eyes. She'd conjured hallucinations and wrapped them around herself like a protective blanket. But here, so close she could hear him breathing, it was killing her.

She'd _ached_ for him and now they were within whispering distance and hadn't spoken about anything more than the war around them.

Akane flipped over to her other side, but quickly gave up the ruse. She pushed herself out of the bed and walked out to the balcony. Uneven shadows of ancient buildings cut into the deep blue night sky. A breeze whipped through her hair and the small torches along the path below, replacing the combination of smoke and _him_ with the lushness of the jungle. Her city nose held back a sneeze. 

Kogami joined her outside on silent footsteps; apparently sleeplessness was contagious around here. Although they both stared off into the night, Akane made sure to watch him out of the corner of her eye. There was a time when she would have taken comfort in the quiet, but now it grated on her. It was a wasted opportunity. It had been four years. Four years of frustration, sometimes anger. A lot of longing. Too much perhaps. The gravity of that absence left her unsure of where to start, but desperate to begin.

Akane ripped her gaze from the jungle. The torch light didn't reach him, he wasn't much more than a shadow in the corner. She wondered if he chose to stand in dark on purpose. Before she could form words, a shout rang out in the courtyard below. Kogami tensed until laughter rippled through the humid air. He peeked over the ledge and whomever was down there must have waved because Kogami flicked his wrist back.

Despite the calm, he frowned when he turned back around. Soft and hesitant, he asked, "Do you think I've become like Makashima?"

Her heart pattered a little more quickly now that the door to conversation was open. Unwilling to let him hide, she met his gaze squarely. "You two were always alike," she started, saying something he already knew. "But you don't desire to control people."

His shoulders relaxed, but he sounded exhausted when he said, "People here want someone to follow."

"And you're one they shouldn't?" She cocked an eyebrow.

His pointed stare pierced her. It was the same careful gaze he had used to review evidence. How could he be considered a good leader when she had followed him here?

Shocked and a little annoyed, she said, "I've made my own decisions."

He dipped his chin, guiltily.

Akane bit her lip.

Four years ago their meeting had struck her like lightning and she had come away marked and smoldering. They could argue about his influence over her. No doubt some would cast a questioning look at her if they ever found out about her hallucinations and the real reason she kept cigarettes in her pocket. (Ginoza had, but Akane was convinced he was the only one.)

Still, she wasn't here because his recklessness had rubbed off on her. At the same time, she didn't get on a plane, fly hundreds of miles into hostile territory just _for work_. Just like he didn't throw himself on top of her before an explosion _out of duty_.

Akane dug her fingers into a crack on the wall. Anchored, she thrust away the girlish desire to run to him.

"I missed you," she admitted into the thick air.

The shadows couldn't hide his flinch.

Her eyes burned.

Giving up the fight, Kogami sighed. Slowly, he nudged himself from his dark perch and came to stand next to her. Kogami dropped his elbows to the wall and teased, "Don't think I've ever seen an Inspector go so far to chase down a criminal."

Akane flushed and retorted, "What about a friend?"

A sad smirk ghosted across his features as he fidgeted with his box of cigarettes. While flipping one through his fingers, he gruffly said, "Your friend's got to be some kind of asshole, making you come all the way out here."

Akane protested, "You're not an asshole, you're just...difficult."

He barked out a laugh so suddenly she jumped, which made him laugh again. She was thankful for the shadows then, as his low chuckle set a flush racing across her skin.

"Difficult, huh?" His grin was infectious.

She threw her elbows down next to his and closed her eyes for a second. She willed herself to remember him as he was in this moment. Far from carefree, but perhaps on his way to being happy. She could almost imagine that they were back in the office again, surrounded by computers and files, not flies and stone. The strength and desire for this dream nearly wiped away the jungle and its noises. Akane opened her eyes.

"Not the most difficult coworker I ever had," she trailed off. "But yes, difficult." 

Without warning, a tear ran down her cheek. She rushed to wipe it away. With the tension gone, the urge to tell him four years of trials and triumphs surged. It was a nearly overwhelming flood. Kamui, Togane, Mika. All the cases she solved and the few she had to abandon without answers. The late nights she spent alone at her desk. The chats she had with Saiga and the way they had carefully agreed to not bring up Kogami in conversation.

He brushed her wrist with his, a soft invitation for her to continue. He lit a cigarette, a little flare in the dark. "A lot has happened," he observed.

"Yes."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there." He flicked the ash from his cigarette. 

She shook her head, denying his unexpected apology. She found it strange coming from the man who had chased down Makashima without regret. She eyed him with new interest.

Then, the horizon lit up with fire, a blinding blast of light and thunder.

And with it, the chance to talk.

They raced toward the explosion, leaving the rest unsaid.


	2. Kogami

He'd be satisfied with this ending, killed while kneeling and tied up. It's an appropriate way for an old dog to go.

He'd make his peace with it, if it wasn't for Akane.

Blood throbbed in his ears. The restraints dug into his already bruised skin. He barely registered the stab of pain in his rib cage after every breath. The worst of it, he was _slow_. Slow to find viable escapes, slow to position his feet, slow to shift his gaze from one edge of vision to the other.

A hoard of henchmen raised their guns. There's nothing but cold indifference in their eyes. One, five, fifty, it didn't matter how many died now that they had the power. A snarl curled Kogami's lip.

Killing him? A symbolic death to the resistance. Killing Akane? Nothing but a cover up, a sad consequence, one he refused to let happen.

She had come here for him, after all.

He had to get her free.

He'd take those real, flesh-tearing bullets if it meant Akane got away. One last act as a loyal hunting dog.

One last play at an Enforcer.

But, hell, he couldn't muster the strength to move at all. He's stuck on his heels, bound and whining.

They leveled their weapons. Kogami's spine twanged, a familiar jolt that came with facing the inevitable. He'd felt it when Akane pulled the Dominator trigger all those years ago.

He jerked toward her. "Akane!"

Then a henchman blew into pieces.

Blood and flesh splattered the pavement.

There wasn't time for any of them to scream. More shots rained down from the sky as an aircraft flew by. Kogami glared at the Sibyl System logo on it; he'd have to puzzle this all together later. A bloody hand skittered across the concrete, gifting Kogami with a gun.

Then, he's free.

One breath, one stab in his lungs.

Then, she's free. 

One smirk, one relieved sigh.

Chaos swelled and threatened to consume them too, yet they wasted a second to stand and stare at each other.

Like a fool, he grabbed Akane and pulled her close, wincing as her petite shoulder brushed his beaten collarbone. A fleeting embrace. Not long enough for her to do more than grasp the wrinkles of his shirt. 

Not long enough for him to make another promise.

Just enough time for a plea. He inhaled and said, "Stay safe, Akane."

Then he was gone.


	3. Ginoza

Kogami wouldn't do him the favor of hanging his head. The criminal just knelt there, surrounded by parts of their defeated foe. Eyes like steel, hands loose at his side, and waited.

For what?

Absolution?

The gun flipped around Gino's finger. Would his Psycho-Pass darken if he killed the man before him? Shinya Kogami, Japanese Citizen turned Enforcer turned Terrorist.

More than likely, the Sybil System would thank him.

After all the insanity during Makashima's reign of terror, after burying his father, after losing his place in society. It would finally be a little victory.

Kogami reeked of sweat and blood. Even though he was trying to hide it, Ginoza saw how Ko's legs trembled. Bruised eyes. Bloodied lips. He looked like shit. 

It would be so easy to take him in. Kogami may have once been able to outmatch him, but not now. That also felt like a little victory.

"I'm sorry, Gino."

"Cut the bullshit," he snarled and Kogami had the dignity to flinch. "You're not, you selfish bastard."

He had a thousand more curses to hurl at this man. All justified. Instead, Gino attacked him with the truth. "You left me. You _left_ me with my dying father." To make up for his cracking voice, he raised the gun. "You were my best friend and you left me!"

A little bubble of satisfaction bloomed in him as Ko winced. "Gino--"

"Shut up." Ginoza flipped the gun around, barrel away from the Terrorist, fuming. "You're not sorry," Ginoza reiterated, his tongue burning with the accusation. "You're just an idiot."

He dropped the gun and helped a stunned Kogami up from the floor. 

Ko tried a small smile, but Ginoza refused to return it. He wasn't about to give Ko that absolution.

"I'm not going to apologize for this," Ginoza warned before rearing back and punching him.

Kogami flew backward and landed awkwardly. He groaned.

Gino's knuckles stung, but it felt a little like winning. He flicked his wrist and ignored the tightness in his chest. Satisfaction and sorrow quickly mixed into an upset stomach.

"I better never see you again," he warned and turned on his heel before he could change his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For this one I shuffled some of the paragraphs around and made a few word changes. For some reason, the bit about Ko leaving Gino never made it into the original posted version.
> 
> Sorry this took so long for me to post.
> 
> Thanks for reading! :)

**Author's Note:**

> I originally cut their conversation much shorter, but after rereading this I wanted to expand it. Then, I still cut it short, so I guess some things are just meant to be left unsaid between them. At least in the movie timeline.
> 
> This will have 3 chapters total. Next one is from Kogami's perspective and third will be Ginoza.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
